


Crimson Ropes, a Viseul short story

by pastryvivi



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-07-14 18:03:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16045724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastryvivi/pseuds/pastryvivi
Summary: Fate is an odd thing, you never know what it is or exactly when you’ll find it, but you can always feel it.What if you could see it too, in the form of a red string connecting you to your fate?





	1. I. Red Ribbon

**CRIMSON ROPES**  
_A Viseul Short Story_  
( Prompt: Red strings of fate)

 

 **CHAPTER I.** _Red Ribbon_

 

  
The bell above the frosted glass double doors chimed as the last three customers walked out, their pastries and frappuccinos in hand. Haseul wiped the sweat from her brow and quickly rushed over to the window, flipping the switch on the _“Closed”_ neon sign and shutting all of the blinds. The 21-year-old barista stood in the middle of the now empty coffee shop, digging her hand in her back pocket and fishing out her cell phone.

Haseul’s palms were sweaty as she flipped through her contacts to find one name, _“Heejin”_. **I really hope she doesn’t kill m-** Haseul’s thoughts were cut short when Heejin answered.

“Where are you!” The younger girl sounded understandably pissed off, but Haseul didn’t think she’d be this angry with her.

Haseul lied as quickly as she could before her friend climbed through the phone and attacked her, “I-I’m at the patisserie right now getting Hyunjin’s cake, they’re putting the finishing touches on it now! I’m sorry it’s taking so long, I’m going to make it, I promise!” To make her story as believable as possible, Haseul made wind sounds to make it seem as if she were running.

It seemed to work, as Heejin muttered a simple “Don’t be late” and ended the phone call. Heejin was always the drama queen, Haseul thought, shaking her head and pulling on her leather jacket. While walking to the back of the shop to punch her timecard, her phone began to vibrate.

The alarm for Hyunjin’s surprise party went off, warning her that she only had thirty minutes to make it to Heejin’s apartment, the phone playing “Happy Birthday” loudly in the empty locker room. The girl sighed, turning the annoying song off and grabbing her backpack. Even though she got Heejin off her case, Haseul still had to get Hyunjin’s birthday cake.

* * *

 

The city of Seoul was cold and crisp that evening, and Haseul’s tiny leather jacket was doing her no favors. Haseul silently cursed the morning weather forecast that falsely reported that the day would be clear and sunny, **What’s the point of a weatherman when all he does is lie? You can’t trust any men…** The tiny girl tried her best to rush between the snowflakes, but one managed to fall delicately onto the tip of her nose, turning it bright red and making her shiver.

Haseul pulled her jacket around her small frame as tight as she could, walking into the small patisserie cutely named _Red Ribbon_ and thanking the higher power when she discovered that the quaint shop was heated. Rubbing her frozen hands together, Haseul walked up to the cake display where a slightly taller girl wearing a checkered red apron with a huge silk bow on the back worked on blending a drink with her back turned.

Haseul smiled awkwardly at the other customers who waited as she tiptoed to peer over the display, trying to catch the employee’s attention with a sharp “Psst!”. The girl whipped around, her hair a beautiful yet hard to achieve golden rose color, and smiled warmly when her eyes settled on Haseul. She felt her heart jump... _why_?

Haseul raised a small hand to wave, “H-hi…” Her eyes squinted as she looked at the girl’s name tag that had her name printed in glittery red writing.

“ _Vivi_ … Hi Vivi, I’m looking for a cute birthday cake for a dear friend of mine.” Haseul managed to finish her rehearsed order with a small smile. **Her name is just as cute** , Haseul noted. Vivi was taller than her, with high cheekbones and big brown eyes that turned into crescent moons when she smiled back at her. They had just met but her smile always seemed to reach her eyes, it seemed like it was always genuine. **What am I thinking?**

Vivi smiled and nodded, “We have cakes here at the display, but we also bake the cakes to order, as well as custom cakes!” She spoke a little slower than most people Haseul had met, but for some reason, it was endearing and Haseul couldn’t help but smile back at the girl in front of her. **Vivi seems so enthusiastic about her job** , Haseul briefly thought, **I wish I was that happy about coming to the coffee shop.**

The girl set the bright pink smoothie that she held in her hands down on a counter, and gestured for Haseul to look at their cake menu. “We have a huge variety of cakes that you can choose from, we have animal shaped cakes, cartoon character cakes, even flower cakes! We can make anything, it’s very fun,” Vivi explained. Haseul softly giggled at how excitable Vivi was.

Her eyes settled on the cake, **perfect**. Haseul’s manicured finger pointed at the picture of a baguette shaped cake with buttercream filling, “I’d like this one, if that’s okay?”

Vivi clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. “Sure! You’re in luck, turns out we baked one of these cakes twenty minutes ago!” Haseul had to have a guardian angel following her that day, she was never this lucky. If anything, something bad always happens whenever she’s around.

* * *

 

The two girls looked through the menu as the snow continued to fall, creating sheets of white paper on the busy streets. Haseul looked out the window, watching the families carrying heaps of presents and sighed happily. Haseul loved the wintertime, her spirits felt lifted as soon as the clock struck midnight on December 1st. There was just such a magical feeling about the holidays...as if any dream can come true, anything is possible. Vivi clapped her hands again, was that her thing?

“Well, I’m going to go get your friend’s cake! She’s going to be so happy to have something so cute and creative. I’m happy that I put it on the menu after thinking no one would want to buy it.” Vivi twirled her hair as she looked down, it was a cute invention, why was she so embarrassed?

“Wait, you created the baguette cake?” Haseul laughed, not at the girl but at the fact that she came up with something so great. Vivi’s head shot up, her eyes worried.

“W-why yes...is it too weird? My boss says that the cakes I come up with are too… _‘quirky’_.” She made air quotes when she said this, rolling her eyes. So she’s sarcastic too. Haseul shook her head in protest.

“No! I actually like it! It’s creative, plus food shaped cakes are such a trend nowadays. No one wants a plain cake.” Haseul reassured the girl as best as she could, although she didn’t know why. Why was she so drawn to having a conversation with this strange yet exciting bakery employee who loves inventing weird cakes?

Haseul’s inner self shrugged. Maybe it’s because she’s friendly. Or maybe it’s because she has no real friends outside of Heejin, Yeojin and Hyunjin and this girl is the most interesting person she’s met all year. **Maybe**. Vivi smiled at Haseul’s awkward compliment, her nose scrunching cutely. Haseul tried not to blush at how anime-like the girl was.

“Thank you so much for your kind words...I didn’t get your name?” Haseul panicked, should she tell her real name? **What if she thinks it’s lame? Her name is so cute and it repeats, and my name is just so...Haseul.**

She opted for telling the truth this time. “Jo Haseul. I-I mean Haseul!” She laughed nervously. She wanted to slap herself, why did she tell her full name as if she were taking attendance in elementary?

Vivi tilted her head cutely, everything she did was cute. “Haseul…” She sounded her name out, as if she were tasting the syllables. “That’s a pretty name! You sound like you should be royalty.”

 **Oh no**. Haseul felt her cheeks heat almost instantly, and her hands flew to her face, covering her cheeks that were now as red as a tomato. No one had ever complimented her name, her friends in high school had teased her saying her name sounded like a grandmother’s maiden name. Maybe Vivi wasn’t so bad.

Haseul was still covering her face when Vivi disappeared into the kitchen area and reappeared with a baguette shaped cake in a small clear plastic box wrapped with a silky red ribbon similar to the one on Vivi’s apron. “Here it is!” Vivi’s hands framed the cake in a ta-da! motion and Haseul had to take a hand from her face to cover her mouth as she laughed.

“It’s honestly amazing, Vivi. You’re a natural at this.”

Vivi laughed softly and shook her head, “Believe it or not, you’re the first person to buy one of my original cakes.”

**I’m...special?**

Haseul felt oddly comforted by those words, knowing that she was doing something so monumental by performing an action as small as buying a cake for her friend’s birthday. “I’m honored!” Haseul joked, but part of her meant it. She looked down at her pocket as her phone rang, and she went to answer it until she noticed a single red string on the floor at her feet. **Where did that come from?** She looked at the red ribbon on the cake box as Vivi rang up her order thinking it came from there, but there was not one thread out of place.

Haseul shrugged and smiled brightly as Vivi told her her total and exchanged money. “Thank you for the purchase at Red Ribbon~ I really hope your friend has an amazing birthday and enjoys the cake!” She gave Haseul the sweetest smile as she passed the cake box to the shorter girl.

“Thank you Vivi, you were literally a Godsend tonight. And I’ll make sure to come back one day to try out more of your inventions!” Haseul’s eyes widened slightly as the girl suddenly held out a pinky.

“Promise me you’ll visit again, _won’t you_?”

Haseul blinked as she saw the same red string that was on the floor now wrapped around Vivi’s finger. Blinking again quickly, the string was suddenly gone. **Huh?** Not wanting to keep Vivi waiting, she held out her pinky and interlocked it with the other girl’s tightly. “I promise I’ll come back and visit you. _I promise_.”

Vivi waved goodbye to Haseul with a bright smile, and Haseul waved back, even as she walked out of the shop and stood by the window. They just met, but they acted as if they were close friends who met up at work...Haseul wasn’t even this close to Heejin or Hyunjin when she first met them, so why did everything feel so natural with Vivi? Why did she make a promise to an absolute stranger? And most importantly, _what were those red strings about?_ Haseul had so many questions but not nearly enough time to think of an answer for them, as she looked at her cellphone to find twenty missed calls from Heejin, three voicemails and seven text messages from Yeojin telling her that she had exactly ten minutes to make it to Heejin’s apartment or the angry girl was going to cut her hair while she slept.

Haseul caught the next taxi she saw.

* * *

When Haseul made it to Heejin’s apartment building, she was already fifteen minutes late. Standing at the door to the building, Haseul took a deep breath before buzzing the bell to her friend’s apartment.

The ride up to Heejin’s place felt longer than usual as Haseul stood in the elevator, freezing while she held the cake box in both hands. What exactly...happened today? Did she make a friend? Would a complete stranger even be considered a friend? Is she even a stranger if she knows her first name? By the time Haseul was done stressing out, the elevator had reached Heejin’s floor.

Haseul knocked softly on Heejin’s door, hearing her dog aka Hyunjin bark loudly and Yeojin’s even louder yelling behind the thick steel. She rolled her eyes as Heejin’s voice turned deep and she uttered a loud, “ _WHAT’S THE SECRET PASSWORD_?” Haseul jumped as the girl’s loud voice echoed throughout the empty hallway.

“ _Jesus_ Heejin! The password is _‘Heejin is the best’_! Can you not wake up all of the neighbors at eight o’clock at night, please!” Haseul yelled back.

“Stop yelling at me!”

“You yelled first now open the door already, I’m _freezing_!” Their screaming match ended when a laughing Hyunjin opened the door instead, revealing both of the girls standing at the doorway with goofy smiles on their faces.

“Sorry ‘Seulie, Heejin’s in a troll mood today.” Hyunjin, the birthday girl apologized for her best friend’s mischievous antics. Haseul pushed past the two kids and walked into the nicely decorated, modern apartment where Yeojin sat in the dining room. Heejin was signed to a high-paying modeling agency, and she had a billboard of herself endorsing a coffee drink directly across from the view of her living room. As odd as Heejin was around her friends, she was what you’d call a “teen icon” to the general public.

Haseul set the cake down on the glass table and untied the red ribbon, walking over to Hyunjin and wrapping it around her hair. Hyunjin smiled as she tied it neatly at the top of her head into a bow. “This cake was specially made just for you, Hyunjin. I didn’t think things like this existed but we have come full circle.” Haseul laughed as she lifted the box from the baguette cake and heard Hyunjin’s loud gasp.

“ _This_...is the best thing I have ever seen in my life.”

Yeojin ran over to the rest of the girls from her spot on the couch, inspecting the odd cake. “Where did you find something as weird as a bread cake?”

“I got it from Red Ribbon, this tiny patisserie a few blocks from my job. A girl who works there actually created the cake, it’s amazing really.” Haseul’s voice grew quieter as she finished her sentence, thinking about Vivi back at the patisserie. **She works pretty late, huh?** Heejin snapped her finger as Haseul mentioned the shop, “I know a girl who works there!”

A lump grew in Haseul’s throat. “ _W-who_?”

“Was a girl named Ara working there?” That’s not her name. Haseul’s shoulders relaxed, she had tensed up without even knowing.

“No, there was someone different working there tonight, maybe they switched shifts.” Haseul thought she should really stop lying, but she couldn’t help it.

She wouldn’t mention anything about the patisserie or Vivi to the girls for the rest of the night since they usually end up teasing her about it, and telling them of a promise made to someone she just met felt silly. She felt like...it was something sacred that only she should know.

Heejin and Hyunjin sat at the glass dining table, cutting a piece of cake for Haseul and Yeojin and then cutting some for themselves. Yeojin took the first bite, her eyes widening as she made a loud “Mmmm!” sound while she chewed. Haseul smiled, eager to know the girls’ opinions about Vivi’s creation.

“This is the best cake I have ever had!” Yeojin began to stuff her face with the spongey cake as Heejin and Hyunjin took their bites as well, making the same sound as Yeojin. Haseul looked at her slice of cake; it was too pretty to eat, really, but she picked up her fork and took a sizable bite. Her eyes closed as she chewed, savoring the sweet taste of the buttercream filling mixed with the light fluffy feel of the angel food cake, it was heaven. **Vivi is the best baker in Seoul, no doubt about it...I should get Heejin to promote Red Ribbon. Hmm.** Haseul was deep in her thoughts when she heard a loud gasp from Hyunjin.

Haseul turned to see the girl pulling a small folded card, tucked neatly inside of the cake box. “Hm? What’s this…? Haseul, is there something we should know?” Hyunjin had a cheeky smile as Haseul snatched the card from her hands.

Her eyes slowly widened as she read the message written in pretty red ink: _“I enjoyed meeting you today, my shift ends early tomorrow, maybe you should come by again~ Tell your friend happy birthday for me! Signed Vivi.”_ Vivi’s handwriting was so delicate, she signed her name with a cute heart, and Haseul felt her heart swell knowing that she was considerate enough to leave a note for her.

The room was silent as Haseul lifted her head, all of her friends’ eyes on her. “U-uh,” Haseul laughed nervously, tucking her hair behind her ears. **Don’t tell them too much** , Haseul coached herself. “She...S-She’s just a friend who I met at the patisserie when I got your cake.” She inwardly slapped her forehead. **Shit! I told them too much!**

Heejin smiled and grabbed Haseul’s cheeks, pinching them. “I’m sure she’s more than a friend!” She teased in a sing-song voice. Haseul rolled her eyes and slapped Heejin’s hands away as Hyunjin ruffled her hair.

“Guys! Nothing is going on, she’s just a girl who bakes cakes! Leave me alone, you guys are all so annoying, _God_!” The three girls laughed at Haseul’s frustration, giggling amongst each other and making annoying songs.

* * *

Haseul feigned annoyance and took the opportunity to grab the note and walk out to Heejin’s balcony, spending time with the stars in the night sky. Haseul rubbed her arms in a feeble attempt to stay warm as she held up the note to read it one last time.

Haseul had always been fascinated by fate. She constantly wondered why life carried on the way it did, why the Earth rotates this way and not that way, she wondered if you did one thing would it lead you to your fate. Haseul sat on the cold ground of the balcony and examined Vivi’s note. **I wonder why this happened today...was I supposed to meet this odd girl? Was I meant to get that cake at that time at that specific shop for this to happen?**

Nothing eventful ever occurred in Haseul’s normal life; her friends either attended school or had some interesting career while she worked in a boring coffee shop, doing the same thing every day. Haseul was tired of leading a safe life, she wanted to meet someone new and try new things and think outside of her comfort zone for once. She wanted change. She _hoped_ for it. Haseul had hoped for change and it came in the form of a pretty girl with a strange yet exhilarating personality who loves the art of baking.

It wasn’t exactly what she was expecting but...she didn’t complain.

 

 

 

  
**END OF CHAPTER I.**


	2. II. Letters to Self

**CHAPTER II.** _Letters to Self_

 

The morning after Hyunjin’s birthday party was calmer than expected compared to the night before. The sun beamed through the ceiling-to-floor windows of Heejin’s apartment, and Haseul sighed as her eyes slowly opened to a new day.

The tired barista rubbed her eyes, making a face when she tasted a bitter flavor in her mouth as she recalled the events of the past night. Haseul had worried herself to the point of drinking about her meeting with Vivi and ended the party vomiting over Heejin’s balcony with Yeojin holding her feet and Hyunjin holding her hair. _**I never drink that much, what was I thinking?**_ Her head suddenly felt ten sizes too big. As she went to stand up, Haseul nearly saw stars as her legs gave out and she fell back onto the bed with a loud groan.

Heejin poked her head into the room with similarly tired eyes and gave a small smile, “I’m guessing you’re calling out of work today?” She chuckled. Haseul only groaned again, holding her aching head in her hands. “Yesterday was a wild night.”

Heejin walked into the guest room and sat beside her hungover friend on the bed, almost laughing at how miserable she looked. Haseul looked as if she had a crazy night of partying when she only had two glasses of wine and began vomiting halfway through the third one. “Do you want me to bring you some coffee or anything? You look like you need about thirty cups.” Heejin teased.

Haseul finally opened her eyes to give her best friend an annoyed glare, “I _need_ an ambulance, not _coffee_.” She sighed deeply as she tried her best to sit up without getting dizzy. She failed.

“Besides, there’s no need; I’m going to sleep here all day after I call in ‘ _sick_ ’.”

Heejin laughed as she got up from the bed and walked over to the door, her fuzzy bunny slippers making a soft sliding sound on the wooden floor. “Well try not to sleep for too long even though I know you sleep like a sloth. We have to go Christmas decoration shopping today and you _cannot_ flake out, got it?” Heejin pointed a finger at the semi-drunk girl as if she were her mother, and Haseul chuckled.

“Yes, Miss Jeon.” Heejin giggled as she left the room, and Haseul took the time alone to finally get her bearings together. Haseul penned a quick text to her manager before she closed her eyes and relaxed in the soft bed of Heejin’s guest room.

Birds chirped happily outside of Heejin’s apartment building, the sun was rising steadily and Haseul squinted as the sunlight began to hurt her eyes. **_What time is it?_ ** She thought as she turned to the nightstand beside her where her cell phone charged. As she went to grab it, her hand hesitated when her eyes landed on a single white card hidden under her phone. She remembered everything from last night all at once.

**_Vivi._ **

Haseul lifted her cell phone and tossed it onto the bed carelessly, grabbing the card and re-reading the message that the cute baker had left her the night before. “I wonder…” Haseul looked to the ceiling as she slipped into a deep state of thought, tapping the card on her chin. **_Would she be at Red Ribbon now? She did ask me to promise to see her again, but she said her shift ended early as well…_ ** Haseul was conflicted, she could surprise Vivi now or wait until her shift ended early, but she had reservations with the girls as well to go shopping so she couldn’t take that much time at the patisserie to begin with.

She realized she had already made up her mind when her legs were moving towards the conjoined bathroom and her hands turned on the shower.

  
…

  
Haseul emerged from the bathroom with a huge cloud of cherry blossom-scented steam, and she dressed as quickly as she could, brushing her teeth at the same time. She didn’t notice that she was constantly checking the time in the middle of her rush. Gathering her hair into a messy ponytail, Haseul made sure to stuff the card from Vivi into her back pocket as she pulled on her jeans and slipped into her sneakers. She checked her phone one more time, “9:15.” She noted. Heejin had texted her after she left the room that they were going to head downtown for their shopping trip at 1:30, so she had exactly three hours to make it to Vivi’s patisserie and spend enough time with her before she had to leave.

Haseul stopped short as she grabbed the door handle to the guest room, briefly wondering why she was so nervous. **_I just met her, and it’s nothing more than just being friendly… Why am I treating this as if it were a date? I gotta get out more._ ** Haseul sighed as she opened the door and stepped into Heejin’s living room where Yeojin stood at the stove with Hyunjin cooking breakfast. Heejin must have went to work.

“Morning girls. It smells good in here, what’s on the menu?” Haseul asked as she sat down on one of the chairs in front of the kitchen counter. Hyunjin turned from where she focused on her cooking and smiled at Haseul, presenting a fresh plate of blueberry pancakes and sitting it in front of her.

“Morning sleepy head. We’re making blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs, and french toast! Yeojin woke up and decided she wanted to make breakfast for me after my birthday since she couldn’t get me a gift, so here we are.”

Haseul couldn’t help but smile at how precious their youngest was; Yeojin was always so considerate even if she seemed like an absolute pest.

Yeojin turned to Haseul and stuffed a huge bite of fluffy eggs into her mouth without a word, and Haseul let out a muffled scream before chewing slowly. When she finished, she had a smile on her face, “Warn me next time but this is good! What did you put in it?”

Yeojin smiled proudly, “Watermelon juice!”

In that moment, Haseul’s smile dropped instantly and she felt as if she wanted to throw up everything that was in her body while Hyunjin burst out laughing beside the younger girl.

Yeojin made a confused face, “What’s wrong with my eggs!” She exclaimed. Hyunjin was laughing so hard that she couldn’t explain why Haseul was now running to the trash can to spit out what was left of the eggs she was forcefully fed.

Haseul gasped for breath as she stumbled back to her seat, coughing violently and Hyunjin wiped tears from her eyes as she finally finished laughing. Yeojin pouted as Haseul fixed her disheveled hair, “Please, Jin, _please_ tell me that you cooked everything else.” She pleaded.

Hyunjin let out a snicker as she nodded, “I can always make more eggs, Yeojin just wanted to try her hand at them so I let her.”

“Yeah, never again.”

Yeojin made a ‘ _hmmph_!’ sound and crossed her arms as her two older sister figures made fun of her cooking skills right in front of her. “I tried my best, okay! And Haseul, don’t even make me mention how you burnt water the other day!”

Haseul gasped and feigned offense, “I resent that!” She yelled.

“So _what_! It happened!” Yeojin yelled back.

The oldest and the youngest proceeded to have a screaming contest as Hyunjin ate her pancakes before Haseul remembered that she had somewhere to go.

“ _Anyways_ , I have somewhere to be so I’m just going to take my bacon and go on my merry way.” Haseul swiped two slices of maple bacon from the plate beside Hyunjin, snacking on them as she wrapped her scarf around her neck and slipped on her jacket. “I’ll meet up with you guys at the mall, okay? Tell Heejin I won’t be late so she doesn’t lose her mind again this time!” Haseul called out as she walked out of the front door.

  
…

  
The city of Seoul was wide awake that morning, the air was cold, and the streets were busy as Haseul walked down the block that Heejin lived on. The area was fairly nice; it looked as if you needed a lot of money to even sit on the stoop of any of the apartment buildings and Haseul was always so amazed at Heejin for having such a high-class apartment at age eighteen. Haseul chuckled, she was twenty-one and could barely make the rent payments for her one bedroom apartment on time with her barista position, and the area wasn’t nearly as rich as where Heejin lived.

Despite her and Heejin’s dramatically different lifestyles, Heejin never looked down on her, and that’s why she loved her the most. Haseul giggled softly as she stood at the sidewalk waiting to cross, thinking about how she had told Heejin she was going to sleep all day and now she’s making plans to surprise Vivi at her job. **_The less they know, the better._**

Haseul barely made the red light as she ran across the walkway to cross the street, her heart beating as she narrowly missed being hit by a car. Her breathing had finally calmed down when she reached the front doors to Red Ribbon, smiling slightly when she was able to make out Vivi’s bright red apron as she served customers through the glass window. Since it was early, the patisserie wasn’t nearly as crowded as it was the night of Hyunjin’s birthday party, so she’d be able to chat with Vivi for a while without disturbing her work.

She took a deep breath, remembering the note in her back pocket, and grabbed the door handle. As she stepped into the patisserie, she was greeted with the same comforting warmth from before, and Haseul felt… safe. Like this was a place where she could come and immediately feel good and relaxed, like home. Vivi noticed her first this time, her cherubic face sporting a huge smile as she waved Haseul over. Haseul felt like she floated towards the pretty baker, as she got closer the scent of Vivi’s perfume grew stronger and soon her senses were overloaded with the sweet scent of honey vanilla.

“ _Haseul_! I wasn't expecting you to come and see me so soon but this is a pleasant surprise.” Vivi greeted her with an adorable grin, and Haseul noticed that she had dimples. “I take it that you saw my note?” Vivi’s cheeks were flushed baby pink and Haseul wanted so badly to pinch them. _**Was she blushing?**_

“I did… Thank you for writing it. Somehow, it… _comforted_ me in a way.” Like having it with me makes me feel a bit warmer in the winter. She wanted so badly to say those words to her, but her thoughts stopped her. **_We’re friends._**

If she said things that seemed too romantic, she was afraid it would scare Vivi off. Haseul liked being in the girl’s company, her presence made her feel different but not in a bad way. She felt things that she didn’t understand with Vivi but she didn’t want to say something stupid to ruin everything before she discovered what those feelings even were.

Vivi smiled warmly as Haseul expressed how she felt, “If the message I wrote comforted you, then… let me write more!” The girl suddenly turned to the counter behind her, and returned with a red pen and a small stack of white cards, the same ones she used to write the message before. Haseul looked on with an amused expression as Vivi wrote quickly on every card, smiling proudly when she finished. She gathered all of the cards into a neat stack and passed them to Haseul.

“If you ever feel sad or lonely or discouraged, read one of these cards to make you feel better. But _only_ when you don’t feel good, otherwise it won’t work!” Vivi grinned. Haseul giggled happily as she took the cards from Vivi and stuffed them in the same pocket that she kept the first note.

“You’re _so_ cute.”

**_Oh._ **

Vivi’s smile dropped and Haseul felt her blood run cold, she was terrified that she said something wrong. She said it so quickly that she couldn’t stop herself. **_I’m so stupid!_** After a few seconds, Vivi’s cheeks began to turn a bright red color and a shy smile slowly spread across her face. Haseul wanted to let out a breath of relief but she was too distracted by the fact that Vivi was now blushing as red as a rose right before her eyes over an accidental compliment.

“T-Thank you…” Vivi’s voice was surprisingly soft. Well, softer than it usually is. “I… t-think you’re cute, too.”

Haseul wanted to scream. **_SHE JUST CALLED ME CUTE! ME! JO HASEUL! I’M CUTE!_** She instead opted for blushing just as red as Vivi and laughing goofily. “Oh, _stop_ it!” She covered her cheeks as she burst into a fit of giggles.

Vivi chuckled softly as Haseul finally calmed down, “So did you come here just to see me, or are you also buying something as well?” Her voice was sweet, Haseul wanted to melt whenever she opened her mouth to speak.

“ _Of course_ , I came here to see you!” Haseul beamed. “But if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could I get a small salted caramel latte with extra foam and caramel drizzle?” Hyunjin always teased Haseul for getting the same order every time she went to coffee shops, but she couldn’t help it, she liked routine.

Vivi nodded sharply with a smile and moved over to the counter where the coffee and espresso machines sat and busied herself with making Haseul’s drink almost immediately after she asked for it. Vivi always seemed like she loved what she did, creating new things for people to enjoy and finding happiness in helping customers with their own in the form of pastries. Haseul admired how positive she always seemed, she couldn’t say the same for herself.

The brunette returned with Haseul’s latte in hand, and Haseul accepted it with a shy smile. “Thank you, it looks _amazing_...” She gasped softly when she saw how well it came out; Vivi had stirred the drink with a chocolate candy cane and also sprinkled some crushed peppermint pieces on top of the cute heart design that she had etched into the whipped cream foam. **_Why is she so good at everything she does?_** The drink was warm and looked delicious, and Haseul couldn't wait to take a sip. Before she took a drink from her straw, she briefly wondered if Vivi ever got to taste her own creations.

“Would you like to try it too?” Haseul asked, holding the latte in one hand and an extra straw in the other.

Vivi looked as if she were taken aback by the sudden offer, like she had never been asked to try her drinks or pastries that she spends so much time on.

“Really?” She asked with a surprised smile. Haseul unwrapped the straw and handed it to Vivi, “ _Yes_ , here! I won’t try it unless you do.” Haseul faked stubbornness as Vivi giggled, taking the straw and sticking it beside Haseul’s in the drink.

Haseul held the cup as the two leaned in at the same time and took a sip of the latte, however, the sip grew longer in time as the two girls stared into each other’s eyes unknowingly as they drank. Vivi’s eyes sparkled as she looked into Haseul’s, stirring hidden emotions in the other girl. Haseul couldn't break eye contact, she didn’t want to. Vivi’s eyes looked like a doe’s... they were so big, and round, and pretty and Haseul silently declared in that moment that Vivi had to be the most beautiful girl she had ever met.

_**Yes, even prettier than Heejin.** _

Haseul was the first to pull away with an awkward cough as Vivi looked at her feet shyly. “It’s _really_ good, Vivi. You’re honestly one of the best bakers in Seoul. You’re going to run your very own patisserie someday, I’m _sure_ of it.” Haseul meant it. Vivi looked at Haseul as she said that with a sincere expression on her face and smiled.

“Thank you, Haseul. Really.”

The two girls stood in the slightly empty patisserie as the sun was finally high in the morning skies and the day was getting to get busier as time passed. Haseul’s eyes widened as she remembered the time that she had to meet up with her friends, “Oh!” She was fast as she dug into her jacket pocket and whipped out her phone, expecting at least an hour to be left before she had to go.

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw that she had thirty minutes to make it to the mall before Heejin killed her for sure this time. _**How did time pass by so fast? I guess I don’t notice anything else when I’m with Vivi.**_ Haseul looked at Vivi with a pained expression, she didn’t want to leave her so soon but she had to make it to the mall or Heejin would never let her hear the end of it.

“Vivi,” Haseul clutched the latte in her hands as she took one of the cards that sat on the counter and scribbled on it as she spoke. “Look, I’m _really_ sorry that I have to leave right now but please believe me when I say that I really don’t want to.” Haseul finished writing and passed the card to Vivi with a pout.

Vivi looked at the card with raised eyebrows and a small smile, “This is your number.”

“Yes, call me whenever you get bored or lonely or you just want to talk or meet up or whatever. I’m just one call away, so don’t worry about whether I’ll come back to see you, okay?” Haseul assured.

Vivi smiled contentedly as Haseul checked her phone one more time, looking at the card every few seconds. Haseul went to say goodbye to Vivi as she saw that her time was up, but as she went to speak she noticed something odd.

The same red string from the day before was back, now wrapped around both Haseul and Vivi’s wrists and noticeably longer than yesterday. Haseul blinked, “ _Vivi_ … do you see that?” Haseul asked slowly, pointing at the red string joining their hands together across the counter.

Vivi brushed her bangs out of her eyes, looked down and shook her head, “No Haseul, I don’t see anything. Are you okay?” She asked with a cute head tilt. Haseul looked back down at their wrists to find that the red string was suddenly gone, just like yesterday.

_**Am I going insane?** _

Haseul shook the thought from her head and gave Vivi a nervous smile, “I thought I saw a bug, but it was just a crumb!” Haseul felt like an idiot. “I’m gonna get going now, but like I said, if you need me I’m just one call away.” Haseul walked to the double doors but stopped short when she heard Vivi’s voice.

“Haseul, _wait_!” Vivi called out.

Haseul turned to see Vivi running towards her from behind the counter, and as she reached her, she embraced Haseul into the warmest hug she had ever received in her life.

Haseul almost fell over from the impact as she felt an enormous amount of comfort from Vivi’s slender arms wrapping around her small frame, her honey vanilla scent overpowering every other smell in the patisserie, and rose gold curls tickling her cheeks like feathers. **_She’s so… amazing._** Haseul was lost in her thoughts as she finally closed her eyes and relaxed in Vivi’s arms. The hug was shorter than it felt, but Haseul soon realized that she never wanted anything else.

As Vivi pulled back, her eyes were sparkling just as they were before, and Haseul was tempted to ask if she stored stars in them but felt lame for even thinking it. “Thank you for today, my co-workers don’t usually keep me company while I work and I don’t share a connection with any of my customers like I do with you. No one has ever encouraged me the way you have in the past two days, I’m _thankful_.” Vivi smiled brightly as she continued, “You’re not even a customer to me, Haseul. You’re a _friend_.”

Haseul froze. _**A friend. A friend. That’s right. Just friends. I knew that already. But why do I feel so… disappointed?**_

She just nodded and smiled through gritted teeth, she didn’t understand why she was upset, of course they were just friends. Haseul wanted to slap herself, she had no right to think of anything other than friendship. She was stupid to try.

Haseul left the patisserie that afternoon with a feeling different from the one that she felt just a few moments before. She didn't know how to explain it; it felt as if she were going to burst into tears but she didn’t know why. **_Am I sad about being friends with Vivi? No. That’s what I wanted. Am I sad about the hug? No. I loved it._** Haseul sighed as she walked to the subway station, dragging her feet along the pavement, coming to a realization as she waited for the train to arrive.

Haseul knew why she was sad. It wasn’t about being friends. She was sad about the fact that she now wanted something more than friendship.

And she wanted it with Vivi.

 

 

** END OF CHAPTER II. **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m super sorry for the long wait on this chapter, but I kind of wanted it to be seasonal for this Christmas so yeah, here it is, please don’t kill me for it! I really enjoy writing both Haseul and Vivi honestly, so I hope that you enjoyed the dialogue and development between the two! Also the letters in the pocket thing is an actual real life event that happened bewteen Haseul and Vivi! Thank you for reading ~

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, and thank you for reading the first chapter of Crimson Ropes, a Viseul short story! I hope that this does not absolutely suck, and I thank everyone who comments/reads/favorites Crimson Ropes as well! This will be a short story, so it may end up being five to four chapters in total. Depending on how well it does, I may extend it! I love you all ~ Also if you have any questions or any comments or whatever, you can always find me on Twitter @ pastryvivi!
> 
> \- Mimi


End file.
